Preparation and dissemination of a report on family health

This grant enables the preparation and dissemination of three reports on the status of American families. The grantee will compile data from a broad range of sources to document the diversity of American families, rather than the individual. A major section of the reports will focus on differences in health care needs and utilization across family types. Specifically, the project will examine: (1) trends in the number and proportion of families that contain one or more members who have a serious chronic illness or other limiting conditions; (2) relative rates of illness and injury; (3) relative rates of health-related behavior; (4) how many people with chronic illness receive care from family members vs. from outside caregivers; (5) the number of families who have multiple serious health problems and the kinds of benefits packages available to them; and (6) the chronic health problems of a spouse, child, or elderly parent and the associated medical care costs (e.g.., stress, economic strain, and disruption). These annual reports will include a compilation of family indicators for the nation, the 50 states, and major metropolitan areas of the country, and will be disseminated to policymakers, journalists, public libraries, and the research community.